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Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Two Chinese doctors accused of partaking in systematic removal of organs from Falun Gong practitioners

UPDATE --one more doctor was served this morning (July 26): Shen Zhongyang-- (Boston) Dr. Terri Marsh filed a criminal complaint against two Chinese doctors attending a conference of the World Transplantation Congress (WTC) in Boston Tuesday.

The complaint, filed with the US Attorney’s Office, demands an urgent investigation into the two doctors’ participation in forced organ removal from living Falun Gong prisoners of conscience. The complaint also seeks a warrant for the defendants’ immediate arrest in order to prevent them from leaving the jurisdiction while the investigation is carried out.

The defendants, Zhonghua Klaus Chen and Tongyu Zhu, are the directors of organ transplant departments in Wuhan and Shanghai hospitals, respectively.In both of the defendants’ hospitals doctors have admitted in recorded phone conversations that the organs they are available for transplants come from Falun Gong practitioners.

Transcripts of these phone conversations are included in an investigative report recently authored by David Kilgour, former Canadian Secretary of State for Asia Pacific.In the transcript, a doctor from Zhu’s hospital in Shanghai converses with an investigator. When the caller asks if any of the organs used for transplant come from Falun Gong, the doctor replies,“all of ours are of that type.”

The removal of organs harvested from prisoners of conscience in Zhu and Chen’s hospitals violates the UN Convention against Torture (CAT), which both China and the US have ratified. The complaint’s legal basis in US law is a statute that grants jurisdiction to US courts to prosecute perpetrators of torture present in the United States, irrespective of their nationality or that of their victim.

In addition to the formal complaint, over 50 legal notices were served to other Chinese delegates to the WTC, warning of civil and criminal liability for those participating in organ harvesting. In addition to Marsh, Executive Director of the Human Rights Law Foundation, two Spanish and Taiwanese lawyers also signed the notice.

The notice concludes: ‘The undersigned human rights attorneys are aware of the ongoing nature of these acts and will continue to track and observe your conduct to determine how to proceed in this matter in the interests of justice, human dignity and all moral principles of significance to the community of Man.’

Background

The Human Rights Law Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 2005 and dedicated to the defense of human rights around the world.

Much of the evidence cited in the complaint and legal notice is drawn from a recent investigative report into allegations of organ removal from Falun Gong practitioners. The report was published by David Kilgour, former Canadian Secretary of State for Asia Pacific, and international human rights attorney David Matas.

A 2002 report by AFP serves as a reminder of the sad reality:The groups, the Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China and the Free China Movement, released what they said was a report from authorities in Jilin province calling for a crackdown on all dissident groups, particularly the banned Falungong spiritual movement, "in order to host a better and successful Olympics in 2008." The report called for organisers of demonstrations to be swiftly arrested and "punished severely", sanctions of up to three years in custody and fines of 10,000 yuan (1,200 dollars) for offenders and for Falun Gong activists to be particularly harshly dealt with. (read more)

As the CCP’s irrationality and evil nature emerge more and more, I am hopeful that justice and peace will prevail. At this crucial time in history, it is simply inconceivable for the western governments not to recognize sooner or later that the CCP is using the Olymics as a tool to justify its crackdown on Falun Gong and all other forms of persecution occurring in China today and outsideChina. It is high time the world's nations sober up and take affirmative action--rewarding cruel dictators with honours is a blatant insult to humanity. This geopolitical move on the part of the IOC indirectly contributes to the loss of countlesslives through a string of genocidalcampaigns conducted by the CCP. This has brought shame to humankind. And that's not all--besides puffing up the CCP's ego, the OIC's decision (of awarding the Games to China) has acted as a catalyst for allowing the redterror to unleash his dogs of war through supplying WMD to rogue countries, committing stateterrorism under the guise of maintainingstability, and threatening Taiwan with 800 missiles. How can we ever mend this part of our history?

If you are as concerned as I am about these atrocities you can go here and here to say no to the Olympics.

Political commentator Tsai Cheng-chung in Taipei weighs the circumstances from Taiwan’s perspective.

Standing up to a `united front' for the Games

A recent report from SMH suggests that tension could even reach a new high in Beijing with the re-entry of Jiang Zemin in politics. "A central theme in his (Jiang Zemin) letters and speeches to the People's Liberation Army is the need to prepare to fight Taiwanese independence.

"The Taiwan issue has been my biggest worry. Now and in the coming period of time, the largest and most real threat to our national security is Taiwan's pro-independence separatist forces," he said in his final speech to the army's leadership in September 2004." (more)

Taipei Times: Saturday, Jul 22, 2006 -By Tsai Cheng-chungThe 2006 FIFA World Cup having come to a close, the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing will be the next global event to take center stage.

When dealing with international athletic competitions, the Cabinet must establish a rapid response unit spanning the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mainland Affairs Council.

First, since Hong Kong's reversion to China in 1997, Beijing has strengthened its "united front" strategy against Taiwan.

Take Chinese television for example: China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has ordered that "Taiwan, China" be displayed when the names of Taiwanese actors or actresses are displayed on Taiwanese TV shows broadcast in China.

In addition, in 2003, China's Ministry of Public Security also started granting Taiwanese citizens Chinese identification cards and passports in an attempt to negate the legitimacy of documents issued by the Taiwanese government.

NEGATIVE COVERAGE

Second, the Chinese media present only very negative coverage of the democratization of Taiwan, branding demonstrations aimed at protecting Taiwan's democracy as a beast endangering social stability and the nation's prosperity.

In this regard, Beijing is not selective about the targets of its mockery, lashing out at both the pan-green and pan-blue camps, the president and borough chiefs, and using defamation and satire to mislead the Chinese people while ignoring their aspirations to democracy and human rights.

Taiwan's temporary economic slump following its economic transformation over the past few years is described as a sign that Taiwan's growing economic reliance on China is unavoidable, that blood is thicker than water and that any anti-China/pro-Taiwan sentiment is doomed.

Third, "Chinese Taipei" is the name that Taiwan has used in past olympic games. To speed up the annexation of Taiwan and unify the ideological education of its people, China has for many years used the epithet "the team from Taipei, China" in sports broadcasts and even included Taiwanese gold medals in the national total medal count for China.

When Taiwan's Olympic team enters the stadium during the 2008 Olympic Games, Chinese sports reporters will call Taiwan's Olympic delegation "the team from Taipei, China" or declare that Taiwan is part of China. How should Taiwan respond to a situation like this?

EVENTFUL

Fourth, 2008 will be an eventful year. In March, prior to the Olympic Games in Beijing in July, Taiwan will hold its next presidential election, and the new president will take office in May.

When the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) was in power, Taiwan's representative to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Shirley Kuo took action to show China that Taiwan was not merely a local government of China.

If "Chinese Taipei" is described as the "team from Taipei, China" at the 2008 Olympic Games, I hope that Taiwanese people and the media will not equate "Taiwan, China" with "the Republic of China on Taiwan."

UPDATE: Three cheers to the Kilgour-Matas team for their incredible work. I hope the US is listening and keep those surgeons from attending the World Transplant Congress. America shouldn't fuel the illegal organ harvesting industry in Communist China by upgrading the skills of transplant surgeons (from China). Look here for Between Heaven and Earth's reaction to WTC and here for more (reactions).

U.S. Newswire: Transplant Report Authors Ask the U.S. to Bar Chinese Transplant Surgeons

WASHINGTON, July 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The authors of a report into allegations of organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China have asked Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to revoke the visas or deny entry into the U.S. of Chinese transplant surgeons complicit in crimes against humanity. David Kilgour, a former Canadian Minister of State for Asia - Pacific and David Matas, an international human rights lawyer from Winnipeg, Canada, co-authored a report which concluded that there has been and continues today to be large scale organ seizures from unwilling Falun Gong practitioners for transplants. The practitioners are either killed in the process or after the seizures and their bodies cremated. The full report can be found here. A number of transplant surgeons from China have been granted visas for entry to the U.S. to attend the World Transplant Congress in Boston July 22 to 27.

David Matas and David Kilgour, in their letter to Michael Chertoff, wrote: "The widespread practice our report documents of harvesting of organs for transplants in China from unwilling donors should require from the US a substantial, meaningful inquiry and determination for every transplant surgeon seeking entry to the US. ... Those transplant surgeons who have not yet satisfied the visa office of their admissibility to the US after the sort of inquiry the regrettable state of transplant surgery in China requires should not be allowed to attend the World Congress."

Friday, July 21, 2006

Part of this speech was delivered at the Peace Walk for Darfur in Vancouver on Saturday July 22, 2006. What we are hoping to achieve is for ‘never again’ to mean something. The chair of Students for Darfur recently joined the Coalition to investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong.

Good afternoon everyone!

It’s good to see so many people here today, united for the same peaceful goal of raising awareness to stop the genocide in Darfur. This tragedy is not only grotesque but it is an insult to humankind. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost but how many can be saved?

One might ponder if we really meant it when we said ‘never again’… or has it just become a shallow refrain? Our governments have the power to stop this genocide and a few others, and they should take action to stop injustice, genocide, and crimes that threaten world peace, and these actions in turn will bring honour and prosperity to Canada.

We ask: what is China’s role in the Darfur genocide? Although some people see China as a friendly giant, many others see it as a red terror.The new report from Amnesty International titled “China: Secretive arms exports stoking conflict and repression” sheds some light on the matter and gives us plenty of reasons to worry about the China threat. In fact, Amnesty International branded the Chinese Communist Party as the ''most irresponsible'' for supplying weapons of mass destruction to ''rogue'' countries such as Sudan, North Korea, Iran, Zimbabwe, and the former Taliban in Afghanistan.

In Sudan’s Darfur those weapons were used to back up the militias where over 300,000 people were killed and 2.5 million driven away from their homes. In so doing Communist China has shown the world how far it is willing to go for a few more barrels of oil. When it comes to China, the good old days of trading with a conscience seem to be few and far between and this attitude has rubbed off on the free world. While I call the Chinese dictators merchants of death, the report refers to a "dangerously permissive approach"—an approach that translates into a killing spree that has gone unchecked for decades.

Last year the US Council on Foreign Relations eloquently stated that: “China has successfully prevented the United Nations Security Council from serious sanctions or other preventive measures in the face of alleged genocide and crimes against humanity perpetrated in the Darfur region.”

We agree with Amnesty’s recommendation that all the world's nations should join an arms trade treaty encompassing the principles of international humanitarian law.

We have many expectations when it comes to world peace.But first, I would like to talk briefly about another genocide occurring now in this world--the persecution ofFalun Gong in China.For seven years Falun Gong practitioners have been branded as criminals, tortured and killed simply for what they believe in. The Chinese Communist Party uses over a hundred different torture methods on the practitioners to force them to renounce their belief.

Recently it has come to light that there is a practice of large scale organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners taking place in China. This has been verified in a report by former Member of Parliament David Kilgour and international human rights lawyer David Matas who conducted their own indepedent investigation.

Falun Gong practitioners, organs are extracted while they are still alive and sold to the highest bidder. They take the heart, both kidneys, the corneas, the liver, and when there are no organs left to take the bodies are thrown in the crematory to destroy all theevidence. Fresh organs are advertised on websites, and foreigners travel great distances for a transplant.

These crimes against humanity are a blatant attack on the moral conscience of all human beings. It is clear that we must stand together more than ever and protect our fellow world citizens at the hands of brutal dictatorships and corrupt governments. There truly is no other choice we can make as human beings.

These genocides, be it in Darfur, China, or elsewhere on the planet, can no longer be ignored and underestimated. The campaigns of terror must be stopped. If the UN can help—they should help now! People’s lives are at stake.

In solidarity with the people of Darfur, we appeal to all kind-hearted people here today, to persevere in defending the universal principle of human rights. We must seize the moment and not lose sight of the glimmer of hope for peace--because peace is on its way!

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

July 20, 2006 marks seven years since the brutal persecution of Falun Gong began in China in 1999. For seven long years, Falun Gong practitioners in China have been branded as criminals, tortured and killed simply for what they believe in. The communist authorities use over a hundred different torture methods on the Falun Gong in an effort to force practitioners to renounce their belief.

But large-scale organ harvesting is the most sinister and shocking aspect of the persecution today. The organs are extracted while the practitioners are still alive and are sold to the highest bidder. They take the heart, both kidneys, then the liver...their bodies are then thrown into incinerators. Mr. Matas, co-author of the Kilgour-Matas Report on organ harvesting, calls this practice: 'a new form of evil'. All of this amounts to an estimated 50,000 deaths by torture with tens of thousands still missing after being detained by authorities.

Here in Canada, the Chinese communist regime (CCP) pressures and manipulates our government officials on all three levels to remain silent about the persecution or face trade loss with China. It seems that the Chinese regime is very confident that no one has the guts to contest them.This deafening silence has helped to build up a suitable environment for these atrocities to exist. By any means, governments should not indulge dictatorships in carrying out their brutal repressive regime via the embassies and consulates of the world.

Private corporations are, too, turning their backs on these atrocities. One example is Rogers Cable. CRTC is presently looking at licensing 9 Communist controlled TV channels to Canada sponsored by Rogers. These channels are used to perpetuate hatred against Falun Gong fueling the persecution in China. One can only hope that the companies doing business with the Chinese regime will soon wake up and voice their concerns over the CCP's human rights abuse and make it known that Canadians do not trade human values for big bucks.

The true nature of the Chinese communist Party (CCP) has been revealed again--a dangerous and corrupt regime that poses a threat to humankind. These crimes against humanity are a blatant attack on the moral conscience of all human beings. It is clear that we must stand together more than ever and protect our fellow world citizens at the hands of brutal dictatorships. There truly is no other choice we can make as human beings.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Toronto: July 18, 2006 – Canadian Falun Gong practitioners won an important court motion on Monday which clears the way for judgement on the merits of their historic $20 million civil lawsuit against Jiang Zemin, the former head of China and four other officials for torture.

Master Glustein of Ontario Superior Court granted the plaintiffs’ request to dispense with service to the defendants of the statement of claim and other court material. China has refused to accept the documents.

“The plaintiffs have ‘done everything in [their] power to effect service’ of the claim,” Master Glustein said in the 5-page decision. He also stated that it is in the interests of justice that service be dispensed with so that the case may proceed. “The plaintiffs will not be able to pursue any of these claims (systematic persecution and violations of genocide, torture and crimes against humanity) unless the Court dispenses with service.”

The Ontario case asserts that the five defendants orchestrated the systematic and brutal persecution of the six Canadian plaintiffs and hundreds of thousands of other Falun Gong practitioners in China. One of the plaintiffs, Professor Kunlun Zhang, was a Canadian citizen at the time of his detention and torture in China.

Master Glustein’s decision comes on the heels of a Canadian independent report released on July 6 that the Chinese government and its agencies have harvested vital organs and put to death large number of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience since 1999.

Monday, July 17, 2006

Update: China e-Lobby reports (Aug. 18, 2006): The Singapore regime came up with an alternative to jailing Chen Pei Yu for the crime of - I kid you not - "harassment by displaying insulting writings" (Today Online); it will send her back to Communist China instead.

It's not hard to figure out that she will be likely tortured, and might even become and unwilling organ donor. What were they thinking?

During the Nazi reign, a famous professor at the University of Munich and some students under the code name "White Rose" distributed large quantities of home-made fliers to directly expose Hitler's war crimes and inevitable defeat. Brother and sister Hans and Sophie Scholl were both members of the "White Rose". On the 18th February 1943, they were arrested while distributing leaflets in the University of Munich. Four days later they were sentenced to death by the Nazi Court in the so-called "name of the people" and executed on the same day. Two years later the fliers they made were air-dropped in the millions to Germany by the allied forces. The Third Reich under Hitler's reign crumbled in a matter of a few months. The "White Rose" and the Scholl siblings became synonymous for righteousness and conscience in the face of abusive power in German history. The movie, "Sophie Scholl - The Last Days" won the Best Movie award at this year's Berlin Film Festival.

"While every country in the world is calling for the public's courage and conscience to take on social responsibilities, the Singapore regime has made an unfair judgment against Falun Gong practitioners who are courageously devoting themselves to human rights and world peace. What we hope to understand is how much social justice Singapore legislation can still represent? In Singapore, do the laws still serve the purposes of protecting human rights? Or have they been reduced to tools of dictatorship? Who benefits from the Singapore court's unfair judgment against the Falun Gong practitioners?" (read more)

Below is the latest on the CCP’s import of the persecution of Falun Gong to Singapore. Here’s some background: the former head of 610 office,Li Lanqing, visited Singapore on July 6th. Meanwhile the Singapore police dug out some old incidents to sue the practitioners again. The local newspapers reported this harassment very negatively and gave Falun Gong a bad name. CCP’s Xinhua News carried an article on this and the Singapore Lianhe Zaobao reported that Ms. Huang Caihua was arrested in front of Chinese Embassy for ‘illegal assembly’ a few days ago. However, she was the only practitioner there that morning. She was told that she violated ‘Miscellaneous Act’. Singapore has a long history of harassisngFalun Gong...

I encourage everyone to fax, email, and call the Singapore authorities as nine practitioners have been summoned to go to court this Friday, the 21st. You can use the following letter as a sample and the contact information is at the end. Many thanks for the ongoing support!

Re: URGENT – Drop the charges against Falun Gong Practitioners

It was brought to my attention today that the Singapore police brought nine Falun Gong practitioners to court on July 14th, 2006 because of small incidents that happened over nine months ago. Apparently Falun Gong practitioners distributed flyers on the street on October 22 and 23, 2005. As the practitioners spread out many police officers video taped them and later on they were charged with “illegal assembly”. For this the Falun Gong will go to court again on July 21st, 2006 and might be facing up to 3 months in jail and/or $5000 fine.

I would say there appears to be an injustice here and it looks like the Falun Gong were framed. Let me explain. When high ranking officials are visiting from China, for example Li Lanqing's recent visit, it is likely that orders from the top have to be executed in such a way that Falun Gong are punished even though they are well within their right to hold a peaceful protest.

It is clear that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials need to be reminded that they cannot bring their brutal persecution with them when they travel outside of their country. Likewise, Singapore authorities should not fall into their trap and harass innocent people just because Beijing said so either. You need to understand that for the most part the Falun Gong did not do anything wrong according to Singapore's rule of law, therefore, this matter should be settled quickly out of court.

It is unfortunate that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), who have been persecuting the Falun Gong for their belief for seven long years, will not hesitate to import their mean evil ways into any country. It is no surprise that Hu Jintao tried to persuade President Bush to ban Falun Gong in the US last time he was visiting there. Recently pressure (from Beijing) has been exerted in Hong Kong as well to outlaw the practice. And according to the Kilgour-Matas report released July 6, allegations of illegal organ harvesting from living Falun Gong in China were confirmed to be true.This new form of evil shows how far the CCP has gone to murder these people for profit. It would be of great benefit to you and your staff to know more about the true nature of the CCP. The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party reveals the uncensored shocking history of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and can be found here.

Needless to say that Singapore will certainly be the target of very bad publicity if it chooses to go ahead with prosecuting the peaceful Falun Gong who are well respected throughout the world. It is high time for Singapore to uphold justice and integrity instead of kowtowing to China at the peril of its own residents/citizens.

Freedom of religion is for everyone and the free world should respect those values even more. For the greater good of all humankind, we should not indulge dictatorships in carrying out their brutal repression via the embassies and consulates of the world. Singapore should show some integrity here and leave the Falun Gong alone. They have suffered enough at the hands of the CCP, the least you could do is give them the rights to exercise their rights in Singapore.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

UPDATE: In light of the recent confirmation of China’s organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners in China exposed in the Kilgour-Matas report released July 6, I urge everyone to share their views with the President of the World Transplant Congress. The WTC will be held in Boston from July 22-27 and at least 1,000 doctors from Chinaare expected to attend. This is your/our chance to tell the WTC President Dr. Cosimi that a motion should be passed to stop this atrocity and that they should invite David Kilgour as a keynote speaker to further explain the situation. Toronto Sun Peter Worthington says this about Kilgour: A man of principles; Silence in the face of evil is not David Kilgour's way. Sadly, there are few like him in seats of power.

On July 6, 2006, a 45-page independent investigative report was released that addresses allegations of organ harvesting from Falun Gong detainees. Co-authored by former Canadian Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) David Kilgour and human rights attorney David Matas, the report draws "the regrettable conclusion that the allegations are true."

Speaking with the press, Kilgour said, "I don't think anyone can have any doubt that this unbelievable practice is continuing... They take both kidneys, then the heart and the skin and the corneas and the liver, and your body is then thrown in the incinerator."

The report identifies the perpetrators specifically as "the government of China and its agencies in numerous parts of the country, in particular hospitals but also detention centres and 'people's courts'."

"The allegations here are so shocking that they are almost impossible to believe," the report states. "[They] represent a grotesque form of evil which, despite all the depravations humanity has seen, would be new to this planet. The very horror makes us reel back in disbelief. But that disbelief does not mean that the allegations are untrue."

Kilgour and Matas spent weeks gathering and verifying evidence for the report, interviewing witnesses, and attempting travel to China. The Chinese Embassy did not accede to the team's request for travel to China for investigative purposes.

The report also details at length the team's methods of investigation and the process of evaluating evidence.

"Our conclusion comes not from any one single item of evidence, but rather the piecing together of all the evidence we have considered. Each portion of the evidence we have considered is, in itself, verifiable and, in most cases, incontestable. Put together, they paint a damning whole picture. It is their combination that has convinced us."

It’s worth mentioning that China's organ harvesting practices have been condemned by Stephen Wigmore,Ethics Committee Chairman at the BritishTransplantation Society, as well as by physicians at transplantation societies in AU/NZ and in several other European countries. The American Society of Transplantation has not yet commented publicly on these charges, or on the Kilgour/Matas report.

Some public officials, NGOs and medical professionals have to date not spoken out, because until recently the charges had not been supported by independent third parties. China's organ harvesting network is understood to be run by CCP military and as such is a highly secret and controlled operation, difficult to verify.

Now there is the independent Kilgour/Matas report, and an independent investigation by a European Parliament VP, Edward McMillan-Scott, who last month secretly interviewed Falun Gong practitioners in Beijing. His investigation concluded that the charges were legitimate and require immediate international investigation. Since his visit, one of the practitioners he interviewed was put under house arrest; the other has gone missing.

We hope that before or during the upcoming AST conference in Boston, Canadian and American physicians will speak out to condemn the atrocities in China, the practice of China's "organ tourism" and the use of Chinese organs from living prisoners of consciencefor transplantation worldwide. We strongly feel that a motion should be passed to this effect.

It is clear that the World Transplant Congress would benefit tremendously by having David Kilour as a keynote speaker at the upcoming Congress in Boston. Mr. Kilgour is currently presenting his report to the European Parliament in Brussels, with stops in Berlin, London and then to Washington DC by the end of next week.

For the greater good of humanity, the international community needs to stop this atrocity---the truth can no longer wait to be revealed and needs to be acted upon now.

The Kilgour/Matas report can be downloaded here. More information can be found here about McMillan-Scott's independent investigation.

Meanwhile in Canada, former Member of Parliament David Kilgour and renowned human rights lawyer David Matas recently published a report on their findings regarding the organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners.

“We have concluded that the government of China and its agencies in numerous parts of the country, in particular hospitals but also detention centers and ‘people’s courts,’ since 1999 have put to death a large but unknown number of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience. Their vital organs, including hearts, kidneys, livers and corneas, were virtually simultaneously seized involuntarily for sale at high prices, sometimes to foreigners, who normally face long waits for voluntary donations of such organs in their home countries.” (full report).

Here's an update on their effort to deliver the report where it matters.

News Update

Canadians Lead in Investigation of Organ Harvesting from Falun Gong prisoners of conscience in China

Kilgour on tour to present report at European Parliament and in Berlin,London and Washington, D.C.

July 13, 2006 (Brussels) David Kilgour, former Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) of Canada, on Wednesday made a presentation to the Delegation of the European Parliament to China in Brussels on the investigation report into organ harvesting from Falun Gong prisoners of conscience in China co-authored by Mr. Kilgour himself and Mr. David Matas, international human rights lawyer from Winnipeg, Canada.

Mr. Kilgour and Mr. Matas' independent report found that vital organs are being seized from detained Falun Gong practitioners across China. At the same time, a Vice-President of the European Parliament, the Hon. Edward McMillan-Scott, reported on his organ harvesting fact-finding trip to China in May 2006.The two reports on the organ harvesting issue complement each other.

Today, Mr. Kilgour, joined by Mr. McMillan-Scott, appeared at a press conference in Brussels to further detail their investigation on the crime of organ harvesting occurring in Communist China.

Mr. Kilgour will be presenting the report in Berlin, London and Washington, D.C. over the next week.

The motion is to dispense with the need to serve the defendants with the statement of claim and other court material, on the basis that all possible means of service have been attempted but China has refused to accept the documents. If successful, the plaintiffs will then be able to seek a final judgment against the defendants on the merits of the case.

The Ontario case is one of 54 legal proceedings in 33 countries, against Jiang and other officials. It asserts that the five defendants orchestrated the systematic and brutal persecution of the plaintiffs and hundreds of thousands of other Falun Gong practitioners in China.

REPORT INTO ALLEGATIONS OF ORGAN HARVESTING OF FALUN GONG PRACTITIONERS IN CHINA

6 July 2006

SUMMARY DOCUMENT

Authors: David Kilgour former Canadian Secretary of State for Asia Pacific

David Matas, Canadian immigration, refugee and international human rights lawyer

CONCLUSIONS:

We believe that there has been and continues today to be large scale organ seizures from unwilling Falun Gong practitioners.

We have concluded that the government of China and its agencies in numerous parts of the country, in particular hospitals but also detention centres and 'people's courts', since 1999 have put to death a large but unknown number of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience. Their vital organs, including hearts, kidneys, livers and corneas, were virtually simultaneously seized involuntarily for sale at high prices, sometimes to foreigners, who normally face long waits for voluntary donations of such organs in their home countries.

It appears to us that many human beings belonging to a peaceful voluntary organization made illegal seven years ago by President Jiang because he thought it might threaten the dominance of the Communist Party of China have been in effect executed by medical practitioners for their organs.

Our conclusion comes not from any one single item of evidence, but rather the piecing together of all the evidence we have considered. Each portion of the evidence we have considered is, in itself, verifiable and, in most cases, incontestable. Put together, they paint a damning whole picture. It is their combination that has convinced us.

MAJOR POINTS OF EVIDENCE INCLUDE:

Conducive Climate for the Crimes

•Pattern of human rights violations: Rule of Law to prevent human rights violations is glaringly absent in China. According to its constitution, China is ruled by the Communist Party. It is not ruled by law.

•Corruption: Trafficking in Falun Gong organs would be consistent with widespread corruption in the country and notably with the other commercial activities of the Chinese army.

•Lack of legislation: On July 1, a new law went into effect; it bans the sale of organs and requires donors to indicate their willingness in writing. Despite the law, it is known that there is a large gap between legislation and implementation in China.

Documentation of the Persecution of Falun Gong

•Perceived threat: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), in particular president Jiang Zemin, came to see Falun Gong as a threat to its monopoly of ideological power over China in the late 1990s; by 1999, the CCP estimated that there were 70 million Falun Gong practitioners. However, the movement is not political and it followers seek to promote truth, tolerance and compassion across racial, national and cultural boundaries; violence is considered abhorrent.

•Policy of persecution: We know that persecution of Falun Gong exists as an official policy from policy statements issued directly by the CCP.

•Incitement to hatred: The CCP adopted 3 strategies to crush Falun Gong: violence against anyone who refuse to renounce their beliefs; "brainwashing" to force all known practitioners to abandon Falun Gong and renounce it; a media campaign to turn public opinion against Falun Gong.

•Massive arrests: Classified information reveals that by the end of April 2001, less than two years into the ban, there had been approximately 830,000 arrests of Falun Gong adherents.

•Repression: The crackdown included Jiang's creation of a special force, the 6-10 office in every province, city, county, university, government department and government-owned business to spearhead the attack. Jiang's mandate to the office was to "eradicate" Falun Gong.

Factors that Point Specifically to Organ Harvesting

•Confession: One witness said her surgeon husband told her that he personally removed the corneas from approximately 2,000 Falun Gong prisoners in 2 years and that none of the cornea "donors" survived because their other vital organs were also taken, and their bodies cremated.

•Admissions of using Falun Gong organs:Investigators analysed numerous recorded telephone calls with detention centres, hospitals and courts across China. Several officials openly admitted to using organs from Falun Gong practitioners.

•Short waiting times: Hospital websites in China advertise short waiting times for organ transplants – 1 to 2 weeks versus years elsewhere – or that they have living “donors” available almost on demand. A large bank of living "donors" is the only way such short wait times can be assured. Some websites have now removed this information.

•Many more transplants than identifiable sources: The sources of 41,500 transplants for the period 2000-2005 are unexplained. Before 1999, China had 22 liver transplant centres, compared to 500 in mid-April, 2006, for example. The increase in organ transplants parallels the increase in persecution of Falun Gong.

•Unidentified / disappeared practitioners: Falun Gong practitioners, coming from around the country to Beijing to appeal or protest, are arrested. To protect their families and people at home, many don’t identify themselves. This large Falun Gong prison population whose identities and whereabouts are unknown would seem a likely source of harvested organs.

•Blood testing of practitioners in detention are systematic. It is unlikely that this is for health reasons, while blood testing is a pre-requisite for organ transplants.

•Corpses with missing organs have been returned to families with no coherent explanation.

•Interviews with victims of the repression now living in Canada revealed a pattern of activities by authorities – such as inexplicable organ examinations – consistent with the allegations.

•Huge profitability of organ transplant industry in China. One hospital website, for example, lists the cost of a liver as being up to US$130,000 and a heart US$160,000.

SOME KEY RECOMMENDATIONS:

1.As organ harvesting from living, unwilling people, is a crime against humanity. It should stop immediately, and authorities in China should conduct a criminal investigation for possible prosecution.

2.Organizations-intergovernmental, governmental and voluntary-should take the allegations seriously and make their own determinations on whether or not they are true.

3.As the UN Protocol to prevent trafficking in persons bans the removal of organs, the UN should investigate whether China is in violation.

4.Foreign governments should ban the entry of Chinese doctors seeking training in organ transplantation and any doctor there known to be engaged in such work should be barred from visiting foreign countries permanently.

5.All countries should tighten their laws against organ trafficking and doctors should, for example, be required to report to their respective authorities any evidence that a patient has received an organ from a trafficked person abroad.

6.Governments should deny or revoke the passports of nationals who are travelling to China for organ transplants.

7.No governments should participate in any China-sponsored meeting or research on organ transplant. No private company should provide goods or services to any Chinese transplant program.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

This is another account revealing shocking truths about the macabre organ harvesting conspiracy widespread in Communist China. Look here and here for related articles.

But first take a look at Congressman Dana Rohrabacher's reaction to live organ harvesting:

"This is gruesome and clearly beyond the moral standards of almost every country that I know. It's time for the civilized world to say "no" to the monsters that are tearing apart people in China and enriching themselves from others' bodies. We, as legislators, as statesmen and Americans, must not also become complicit in these crimes by keeping silent. History cares not whether we have inked another trade deal or helped sell another Boeing 747, but history will judge us if we choose to look the other way when faced with truly indescribable human suffering on this scale." (full report)

Police Witness Tells of Organ Harvesting Deals

Epoch Times: Jul 08, 2006 - As the name of "Sujiatun" surfaces, so do the inside stories of extremely brutal persecution against Falun Gong practitioners, criminals sentenced to death, and those who were driven to the outskirts of society by the Chinese communist regime.

During an interview with New Tang Dynasty TV, a former policeman from Guangzhou Province disclosed this inside story on how the Chinese communist regime utilizes its five operating divisions to coordinate with the police system. With a quota set for killing and organ harvesting, all the relevant activities receive permission to operate and no one dares to complain. This policeman said, "In the system operated by the Communist Party, if I kill, I can make money; the government allocates the funds. If I don't work, then I can't make a living. If I don't kill, how can I make a living?"

This policeman is Zhang Jianhua. Zhang was born June 30, 1959, and worked at Longgang Police Station of Shenzhen Public Security Bureau in Guangzhou Province.

Anchor: When were you a policeman in Shenzhen City?

Zhang: I was in the military before 1981. After being transferred to civilian work, I was again transferred to the Longgong Police Station in 1987. Since then, I was a policeman as well as a superintendent. I was mainly responsible for smuggling control and intelligence security, so I have good knowledge of internal documents issued by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). I am also very familiar with Falun Gong cases. In other words, I know the dark side of the Chinese communist regime very well, including murder and corruption cases. I came to America because I was too honest and could not comprehend the lies of being a policeman in mainland China. We were trained to have a good comprehension of law, so I could not remain silent while seeing the law being violated, though I did not report it. My conscience felt unsettled when I saw how victims, including Falun Gong practitioners, were being persecuted. Therefore, I reported those policemen's crimes to their supervisors. I could no longer simply watch unjust murder cases and Falun Gong cases happen, so I disclosed them. Imperceptibly, I received retaliation. There were many reasons for retaliation and forging evidence is very easy. It is also very easy to press charges against anyone who sympathizes with Falun Gong, and those CCP members and policemen are skilled in pressing charges, making it impossible to prove innocence – only guilt. I went to many places to appeal in China, including the National People's Congress, State Council and Ministry of Public Security. I appealed for the persecution against me. No one took my appeal seriously. Instead, they sent me away and mocked me, telling me to not get involved in so many affairs and to go back and be obedient.

I also personally went to the office of Shenzhen People's Daily, Nanfang Daily, and Nanfang Weekend to expose the inside stories. I even wrote to China Central Television (CCTV) editors and personally went to the CCTV station to talk to the persons in charge. They showed no interest at all since I wanted to reveal the dark side of the CCP; reporting such stories would only bring trouble upon themselves. They would never offend the public security system as a whole or tarnish the reputation of the government just to help me out of my troubles. Seeking action, the authorities of Longgang Police Station tried to find ways to fire me. I had no other choice but to flee the country and come to the United States.

The main mission since escaping from China is to expose the organ harvest and trade, along with the murdering and persecution of Falun Gong in China with the help of media outlets in the United States.

Anchor: You mentioned that you have witnessed the organ harvesting from a criminal. Could you please describe in detail the location, time and specific incident you witnessed?

Zhang: It was in 1998 when I was a criminal policeman at Longgang Police Station. Between 1997 and 1998, there was a major drug trafficking case, the biggest of its kind in entire Asia, which was called "961 drug trafficking case," or "916 drug trafficking case", if I remember correctly. The major criminal's name was Wang Tiansong. He had an accomplice whose name was Chen Longzai (They were both arrested). I personally knew Chen Longzai because he lived in our district and had gathered information for me before. However, he met his due punishment for smuggling and trafficking drugs, and was executed in 1997. I followed Chen's case closely because I was friends with one of his relatives. Chen and his brother were both from Hong Kong, and his brother wished to see him one more time before the execution. I knew that all his internal organs were missing and they must have been harvested. The brother's main concern was precisely that Chen Longzai's organs might be removed, because it is thought to be inauspicious if one's organs are taken out upon death.

Anchor: Did people know Chen's organs would be harvested that day because similar incidents had occurred before?

Zhang: His brother definitely knew that Chen Longzai's organs were to be harvested. Nowhere in China can you appeal against organ harvesting from criminals sentenced to death. There is absolutely no way to acquire the body after execution. That day, several of Chen Longzai's friends were also executed. There were about six people in his group.

The whole process was conducted in secret. This execution site was designed in such a way that the road was relatively flat, and it also took approximately 2 hours to get to the crematorium. Armed police were assigned to conduct the organ harvesting. Allowing these policemen to conduct the secret operation did not represent a breach to security because the armed police belong to the army, which has a secure system. Therefore, the Central Military Commission of the CCP must have issued a document stating that criminals sentenced to death can no longer be treated as human beings. The average person presumably understands that such criminals committed atrocities and therefore cannot be treated as human beings. The government allocated funds for organ harvesting. They purchased or imported some advanced and specialized vehicle that can be used for organ extraction on the road.

Anchor: Was the operation conducted inside the van?

Zhang: It was conducted inside the van. After the criminals were executed, they were transported into the van. Because the armed police also conducted the entire execution process, the average person does not know what they do inside the van—only the traffic police, criminal police, or armed police know the secret operations.

I went to the execution site to watch the execution. In general, the bullet would hit a crucial spot. This was chosen so as not to cause severe bleeding. Because I was a policeman, normally they didn't care that I was there observing. At that time I had an interest in seeing how they operated. I was curious to why that many imported vans had lowered curtains and shut doors. In this profession, there are many foreign doctors, many MDs. The armed police recruited a large number of medical doctors with bachelor's degrees and doctor's degrees to engage in organ harvesting and related research. These people are extremely talented. But once they got into it, they didn't want to be involved any longer, and many wanted to leave and go abroad. They, however, could not leave because they knew the secrets of the operation. All of them had a deep sense of guilt and regretted getting involved in the organ transplant research.

At the execution site, the whole process went very fast. Once the criminal was executed, the body would be moved into the van and those wearing police hats and white lab coats climbed into the vehicle, shutting the door behind them. Each vehicle can only accommodate one body. On that day, a total of six vans were on site, among which two were borrowed from private hospitals because there were not enough vehicles. All the drivers were armed police or the doctors.

During the transportation, the vehicle drove slowly but steadily, which was probably to facilitate the operation. The vehicles from armed police and traffic police escorted the vans the whole time to prohibit anyone from getting close. All civilian vehicles had to pull to the side of the road. These operations seemed more secure than escorting a nation's president.

We followed them all the way to the crematorium. My Hong Kong friend's brother insisted on seeing his brother Chen Longzai one last time. I lent him a uniform and told him, "If you wear plain clothes, you won't be able to see your brother. Only if you wear a uniform, will you be able to see your brother." Once we arrived at the crematorium, the whole place was shut down and surrounded by the armed police. No one was allowed to enter. Even many people working at the crematorium could not get close. Only the person operating the furnace could.

Because he wanted to see his brother one last time and was even willing to risk his life, I took a risk because it was my commitment to his father. So I told the guard that we were police from the Longgang station. I claimed that six people in the vans were prisoners from our station, and we still have to fill some loopholes in the criminal cases by taking a picture of the face and putting it on record.

The armed guard said, "It is okay for you to look, but don't get too close. Rules from above mandate that nobody should get closer than 2 meters." So we stood two meters away from the body. We saw them unzip the bag. I saw that the transparent bag was full of blood and the whole body was soaked in blood. I thought, perhaps an operation had occurred.

When the bag was unzipped, the face could be seen. Right away, my friend was so agitated that he rushed on; as soon as he unzipped the bag, blood poured out. We could see that the body was empty and all the organs were gone. The eyes were gone as well—perhaps corneas were needed. He wanted to shout and I asked him not to, as it would put his life in danger. Later I apologized to the guard and told him that my friend got too scared upon seeing the body and the blood. The guard recorded our names.

After recording our names, we found their leader and explained the situation. Later the leader asked about my friend. I told him that my friend was related to the person who was shot. He just wanted to see him one last time. He was a security guy, not an armed police. I gave him the police suit to wear. I told them he was a security policeman and I begged for forgiveness.

Maybe they didn't know we had another purpose and thought we only wanted to see the body. That person in charge didn't seem to mind. He let us know that there are rules from above and that we could not share this information with anyone. Later my friend wanted to expose this through Hong Kong media. I told him not to do it because it would harm me. It happens everywhere in China. As a result, he didn't go to Hong Kong media.

Why do I want to bring this out today? It is because organ harvesting in China has reached an excessive and unbelievable state. The government is out of control. It doesn't care about people's lives and deaths including those of Falun Gong. It only cares about money and research. Organs that can be used are all used. Nobody, besides outsiders, dares to expose them, and only foreign media dare to criticize it. Media in China doesn't dare, and would not expose it even if they witnessed it.

Organ harvesting has become an unmentioned part of the milieu. Every hospital is finding organs. Courts are finding police to find targets to get benefits. Through the Department of Finance, the Department of Public Health is giving funds to hospitals. Every year the Chinese communist regime carries on the "strike-hard" campaign in October and November. Some people are killed during the campaign. Then a lot of organs will be available. So every year around that time, the Department of Public Health gives funds to several large hospitals. As a result, operations and surgeries are abundant during this period of time.

After the criminals are killed, their organs are immediately removed. The technology is very advanced and a lot of money is invested there. Many instruments come from foreign institutions specialized in this type equipment; these institutions loan money to you and give you any equipment you want, generating a substantial circulation of money. Our Public Security Bureau also benefits financially from the process. Our district Party secretary Liu Zhigeng said, on killing people, "When you execute one criminal, our Longgang District will award your Bureau 30,000 yuan."

Why would we refuse this money? As a result of this process, our Public Security Bureau is very enthusiastic about severely punishing criminals. But we do not know whether the person killed is a good person or a bad person. As for whether the television station chooses to broadcast the good or the bad case, it is up to them. So, in many cases, those in need of organs have to coordinate with our Public Security Bureau. You let us know what kind of organs you need, and if you need a large number, we simply kill more people.

Anchor: Roughly how many people are executed in a year?

Zhang: The National Ministry of Public Security gives us quotas. For example, for the Public Security Bureau in Shenzhen city, if they are strict in punishing crimes, the quota is between ten and twenty — the more the better; usually, it would not be less than ten. The city has a high crime rate, and the quota is given based on the crime rate. It seems that in Hunan province and Xinjiang region the crime rate is low; when crime rate is low, [the killing quota] is low as well. The Public Security Bureau in Shenzhen is under much pressure because it has difficulty fulfilling the annual killing quota allocated to them. So, they try their best to establish informants and find clues. If you are a businessman, you'd better not offend anyone.

In the end, the job of the police is to kill people, while the job of the crematorium is to cooperate with the police. Since it is sanctioned by top ranks, all kinds of people are involved in this business, including the leaders from the Department of Civil Affairs, Department of Finance, Department of Public Health, Public Security Bureau, the court, and the Department of Supervision. It involved leaders from several units and always receives permission to proceed. Whatever and however you did it, nobody would say anything. So the Communist Party's operation is very smooth, and [people are] very obedient. Why wouldn't they be? If I killed a person, I can receive a bonus of 30,000 yuan awarded by the government; if I do nothing I cannot keep my job. How can I keep my job if I do not kill people?

If you do not provide the organs to the Department of Public Health, how can the Department of Finance give you money? People dare to do this because the central government leaders have provided confirmation. There are several benefits. First of all, one can gain fame by studying human organs, and can be reported by newspapers worldwide. Not surprisingly, China's organ research ranks amongs the top internationally, so those in need of organs have come to China from all over the world. In recent years it is reported that China's organ research is very advanced; that is because they have more organs. If they fail, they will study the operation again; fail again, and study again. Their study can move ahead because China has so many organs for them to study. Other countries cannot do this: If you cannot study and transplant one organ well, I will sue you. In China, where can you sue? You cannot, since each separate department has its own insurance system. You can techinically sue; go to Beijing to sue, but you may have your own organs removed! How can you sue?

Where do you sue? Isn't that the ultimate question, the dilemma itself? All is under the Chinese Communist Party.

About Me

As an avid human rights activist and member of the China Freedom Blog Alliance, I focus mainly on safeguarding the rights of the Chinese people who are deprived of basic freedom under the tyranny of the Chinese Communist Party.